Misindex

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To put an incorrect entry or label into an index, so that something is listed under the wrong heading or page
2. To catalog or list something wrongly in an index, making it hard to find later
3. To assign the wrong index term or number to an item, causing it to be filed or referenced improperly

Etymology: "Misindex" is a plain compound: the prefix "mis-", meaning wrongly or badly, attached to "index". It is a straightforward formation rather than a word with a dramatic backstory, so its interest lies in how transparently it is built. The prefix "mis-" comes from Old English, where it signalled error or wrongness, as in "misdeed" and "mistake". Speakers have attached it freely to native and borrowed roots for centuries, which is why it can combine with a Latin-derived noun like "index" without any sense of mismatch. "Index" itself came into English from Latin, where "index" meant a pointer or forefinger, a sense that still survives in the word for the pointing finger. Combined, "misindex" describes the act of indexing something incorrectly, giving it the wrong entry or placing it under the wrong heading. The word is a modern formation of this kind, and its meaning follows directly from its two parts.